Barbecue Secrets

Recipe of the Week: A Taste of Kentucky Barbecue

One
of my favourite cuts of meat is thepork
blade steak– cut
from the same part of the hog as the classic shoulder butt roast
that we cook in competition. In certain parts of Kentucky, thinly
sliced blade steaks are seasoned with salt and pepper, cooked over
a low hardwood fire and “sopped” with a thin sauce made of vinegar,
black and red (cayenne) pepper and lard and/or butter.Wes
Berry,
author ofThe
Kentucky BBQ Book,
says he loves the sauce so much he orders extra to put on his side
dishes and mop it up with soft white bread. Give this adaptation of
the Monroe County classic a try, with Cornbread Salad on the
side.

Monroe County Style Pork Shoulder Steaks

Serves 4

For
the steaks:

Four
pork blade steaks, the thinner the better (if they're really thin,
like half an inch or less, budget for eight because your guests
will easily eat two each)

Kosher
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Hickory
wood as a flavouring agent

For the sop/dip:

4
cups white vinegar

½ cup
lard

½ cup
butter

2
Tbsp finely ground black pepper

2
Tbsp cayenne

1
Tbsp Kosher salt

Melt
the ingredients in a saucepan. Keep warm so the fat stays
melted.

Pre-heat
your grill for low-medium direct cooking. Season the blade steaks
with salt and pepper and place them on the grill. Turn them
regularly, brushing some of the sauce on them with every turn,
until they’re well done – about 15 minutes to half an hour,
depending on how low your heat is. Use hickory chips or
chunks to produce some flavourful smoke. If you’re cooking with
charcoal, just place a chunk of hickory on the coals before you
start cooking the steaks. For gas grills, place some wood chips in
foil, poke holes in the foil and place the packet underneath the
cooking grates.

Take
the steaks off the grill and serve them immediately, with one last
coating of the sop, and some on the side for those who want
extra.

Cornbread Salad

This
"salad," which is more of a savory trifle, is
adapted from a recipe from The Kentucky Barbecue Book by Wes Berry.
Wes got it from Trinca Barnette of Tony’s Bar-B-Que
Barn in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, and then came up with some
suggestions for dressing it up. Enjoy!

To
make the salad, simply layer the ingredients in a large glass bowl.
Start with half the cornbread, then layer the other ingredients and
top with half the dressing. Repeat this layering one more time,
with the other half of the dressing on top, and garnish with some
chopped green onion. Let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of
hours to allow the flavours to marry. Serve as a side dish with
just about anything!

Cornbread

Makes
6–8 servings

This
recipe is adapted it from a recipe that my Texan friend Amy Walker
shared with me.

2 or
3 tsp | 10 – 15 mL bacon drippings or vegetable oil

11/2
cups | 375 mL cornmeal

1 tsp
| 5 mL baking powder

2
eggs, lightly beaten

1 can
(14 oz | 398 mL) cream-style corn

1
chopped jalapeño chile

1 tsp
| 5 mL kosher salt

1 cup
| 250 mL buttermilk

¼ cup
melted butter

Preheat
the oven to 400˚F. Coat the bottom and sides of a 10-inch cast-iron
skillet with bacon drippings or oil and heat it in the oven for
five minutes. Meanwhile, mix the cornmeal, baking powder, eggs,
creamed corn, jalapeños, salt, buttermilk, and melted butter
together. Pour the cornbread batter into the hot skillet. Bake the
cornbread for about half an hour or until golden brown. Cool it for
at least 5 minutes before serving it.

Bonus Recipe: Owensboro-style Mutton Dip

Here’s
another Kentucky classic, adapted from The Kentucky BBQ Book. Mop
it on grilled or barbecued lamb (it goes great on pork, too, or
anything else for that matter!) and be sure to have some available
on the side.

1 cup
Worcestershire sauce

1 cup
water

1 tsp
Kosher salt

1 tsp
finely ground black pepper

1
Tbsp white vinegar

1
Tbsp lemon juice

¼ cup
brown sugar

½ cup
tomato paste

Put
all the ingredients in a pot and cook until the paste dissolves.
Use it to baste meat while grilling and as a dipping sauce on the
side.